In vertebrates (including mammals such as humans), bones and connective tissues such as cartilage can break, fracture, or otherwise become damaged due to injury, age, heredity, or combinations thereof. This is particularly true for cartilage and components of the intervertebral disc that can degenerate, resulting in pain and pressure on the spinal cord.
Additional nonsurgical treatments for acute and chronic cervical neck pain, which may be a result of the above, include various traction methods. For example, manual cervical traction can include inflatable neck collars and over-the-door traction devices, as well as physical therapy that involves physically pulling the head away from the neck. Such traction methods are meant to relax the soft tissue and separate spinal vertebral segments, creating negative intra-disc pressure, retracting bulging discs, and removing impingements on nerves.
Prior apparatuses and methods for fixation or fusion of bones and joints to promote healing, relieve pain, and/or reduce future injury are generally known, but many are insufficient to provide proper stability or otherwise aid in healing or treating the bones and connective tissues involved. Additionally, methods and devices for supplying traction forces are generally known, but do not provide consistent, continuous low magnitude traction forces in order to maintain disc height and health and to relieve acute and chronic cervical neck pain.